Movie Morsels: HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES’ New TV Spot, the Trailer for Johnny’s Depp’s MORTDECAI, Plus News on Jennifer Lawrence Next Project!

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Today’s Movie Morsels offers an eclectic assortment of oddities and entertainments for your enjoyment. Starting with the thrilling first TV spot for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. And if you like Americans sporting silly English accents, we’ve also got the latest trailer for Johnny Depp’s next film, Mortdecai. Plus, news on Jennifer Lawrence and Dwayne Johnson’s next projects, and a release date at last for The Conjuring 2!

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

It’s almost here. Peter Jackson’s final Middle-earth movie and the closing installment of his Hobbit trilogy will arrive on December 17th. But the first TV spot for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is here now; and, whether one is into the three-film adaptation of a three-hundred page children’s novel or not, it must be said that this preview does a lot to stoke interest in its grand finale.

Johnny Depp’s latest wacky eccentric is Mortdecai, a British art dealer who occupies the title role in Lionsgate’s upcoming comedy. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Depp’s wife, “this action-comedy — based on a series of thriller novels from the 70s — places our leading man in present-day Los Angeles as well as his homeland in England.” In the film’s latest trailer, we also see Paltrow’s rival for Depp’s affections — Olivia Munn — as well as Ewan McGregor and Paul Bettany as Depp’s no-nonsense manservant Jock. Mortdecai lands in America on January 23rd.

After earning an Oscar nom for his work in Silver Linings Playbook, Robert De Niro may reunite with star Jennifer Lawrence (pictured above) and director David O. Russell in Joy, “based on the life of ‘Miracle Mop’ inventor Joy Mangano… De Niro would play the father of Lawrence’s Joy, a single mom who, beginning with the Miracle Mop in 1990, became world famous selling her inventions on the Home Shopping Network.”

“Central Intelligence‘s story begins with a class reunion. A former high school sports star-turned-accountant (Hart) is contacted by a loser classmate who was bullied back in the school days (Johnson). That ‘loser’ is now a CIA contract killer, who ropes Hart’s character into helping foil a plot to sell classified military secrets.”

With Hart and Johnson, audiences know what to expect. But the question of whether Hart’s screams will deafen the roar of the explosions remains unanswered.

The sequel to last year’s surprise hit The Conjuring has finally been given a release date. Director James Wan’s follow-up — featuring returning stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson — will hit theaters on June 10, 2016. That’s some high-profile summer real estate, indicating that New Line has plenty of confidence in their horror franchise. “The Conjuring 2 is the third title to land on the 2016 date, joining Lionsgate’s Now You See Me 2 and Sony’s video-game adaptation Uncharted.”

No, it’s not a prequel to this year’s hit indie comedy Chef. Instead, Cook stars Eddie Murphy in “the tale of a cook hired by a dying man to make meals for his girlfriend and his daughter after he passes.” Eddie Murphy will play the title role of Henry Church, “an artistic man who agrees to care for the dying Marie Brody and her daughter Charlotte for six months, only to end up ingrained in their lives for the next 15 years.” Driving Miss Daisy helmer Bruce Beresford will direct, and Britney Robertson (pictured above in the upcoming Tomorrowland) has just been signed to play Charlotte.